Interventions to reduce inequalities in uptake of routine dental care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
InteRventions to rEduce inequaliTies in the Uptake of Routine deNtal care (RETURN) - Work Package 1
IRAS ID
240819
Contact name
Rebbeca Harris
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Liverpool
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
We plan to develop an intervention to encourage people using urgent dental care services, to take up routine dental care. The intervention will involve patients identifying barriers and making plans to overcome them (Implementation Intentions), supported by material such as information on how to reclaim dental charges.
The intervention will be delivered by dental nurses supported by material on a Tablet PC, with further material with online links sent by text message; or in a booklet/leaflet - according to patients’ preference.
This ethics application is for the first stage (Work package 1) - developing the intervention - which will involve interviews and observations of up to 60 patients and 20 dental staff over 12 months. This will be divided into 2 phases. In Phase 1 we will observe and interview people in four different recruitment sites (dental hospital, ‘out-of-hours’ NHS dental practice service and ‘in-hours’ NHS urgent dental care practices). We will invite the 40 patients interviewed at this stage to receive a follow-up phone call about four weeks later to discuss how they got on and reflect on why they did or did not seek a routine dental service. We will invite them to take photographs with their mobile phone during this period of anything which is significant to them about using dental services – such as a complicated charge exemption form for example. The photographs will serve as prompts for the follow up discussion. In Phase 2 will we test a version of the intervention and observe dental staff delivering it, and interview patients and staff to see what they think and identify ways we can improve it. Formal interviews will be audiotaped and transcribed and the usual data protection procedures regarding confidentially and anonymity will be in place for all data collection.
REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NE/0061
Date of REC Opinion
8 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion